The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1887-03-19
THE MOON STORY.


The moon story, which appeared in
the fall of 1885 in the columns of the
New York Sun, was the most gigantic
newspaper hoax ever perpetrated. 1t
was known that Sir John Herschel had
gone to the Cape of Good Hope, to make
observations with new instruments of
extraordinary power. Then there APP
peared series of papers describing
what Sir John had discovered. They
purported to be copied from the pages
of supplement to the Edinburg (Scot-
land) Journal Of Science, exclusive cop
les of which had been received at the
Sun Office.
1t was known that the atmosphere Of
the Cape Of Good Hope is unequaled
for purity, and of course has corre-
spending facility of celestial observa-
ton, and when it was stated. what mo-
body among US could undertake to
deny, especially as it was said to be
confirmed by actual observation, that
the great object glass of the astrono-
mer's chief telegraph was a lens Of
seven tons weight, no great wonder
was felt if the results from its use were
unexampled. 1t was said, then, in the
alleged report of the great discov-
cries. that so great was the magnify
ing power of this instrument (42, 900
times) that it could impart to objects at
the distance of the moon a degree of
visibility equal to that enjoyed by OBJ
jects on our earth not more than one hum
dred yards of. This put it within st.
Johns power to view, not only the
larger class of natural objects in the
moon, but to see with ease the dwell
ings, animals, and even persons of the
Lunarians, which he accordingly de-
scribed.
The descriptions of Luna scenery ali
believed. There was so much verisim-
ilitude, such shrewd and apparently
accurate scientific phraseology, that
scientists found it no easy task why
they should not give the story credence.
But when there came descriptions of the
web-wings appended to the favorite in
habitants of our satellite, constituting
them in appearance sort of man-bat.
strong scepticism of the whole story
was manifested. Edgar Allan Poe, the
poet. speaking of the immense success
of the ''moon hoax" states ''that not
one person in ten discredited il, and
(strangest point of alp the doubters
were chiefly those who doubted without
being able to say why-the ignorant
those uniformed in astronomy, people
who who would not believe because the
thing was so novel, so entirely out of
the usual way A grave professor of
mathematics in Virginia college told
me seriously that he had no doubt of
the truth of the whole affair! The hoax
was circulated to an immense extent;
was translated into various languages,
and was, upon the whole, decidedly the
greatest hit in the way of sensation, of
merely popular sensation, ever made
by any similar fiction either in America
or Europe"
The sceptics thought that they would
discover the truth or fiction of the mys-
terious story by the effect it would pro-
duce in Europe. but the event was at
first by no means so distinct for them
or so unfavorable to the credit of the
story as might have been supposed. 1t
was read all over Europe with as keen
an interest as it had been here, and was
made the subject of certain kind of
even in the French Academy
of Sciences. when the great Arago at
length took it upon himself, chiefly, as
he said, out of respect to the name and
honor Of his friend, Herschel, to put an
extinguisher upon it. Herschel himself
was first made acquainted with the lib
erty that had been taken with his name
by its being sent him amongst bundle
of miscellaneous New York newspapers,
obligingly furnished him by Caleb
Weeks. who had gone out from the
United States to the Cape for lot of
giraffes and other African animals for
his menagerie. He saw Immediately,
of course, the nature of the thing, treat
ing it good-naturedly.
James Gordon Bennett, of the New
York Herald was the first to charge the
Sun with the fabrication of hoax, and
the inventor of the story, who was edi-
tor of the paper. had to be very adroit
in dealing with the situation in such a
manner as to conduct the concentrated
Indignation and disappointment of the
public safely away. True or false, it
wonderfully increased the circulation
of the Sun, but Mr.. Richard Adam Locke,
an Englishman, who was the author of the
hoax. never wrote any thing afterwards
which created much sensation. 1t took
a longtime to convince the public that
it had been deceived, and it was said
IL ~ fol